Campers and beachgoers at South Australia's Lincoln National Park are being urged to stay clear of the water as sharks feed on a whale carcass.
Director of Conservation and Wildlife with the Department for Environment and Water Lisien Loan said it was monitoring the decomposing remains on the Eyre Peninsula.
"A decomposing whale carcass is currently floating in waters off Lincoln National Park on Eyre Peninsula, approximately 800 metres south of September Beach," Ms Loan said.
"Sharks are following and feeding off the carcass."
She said for the sake of public safety, the department was recommending visitors to Lincoln National Park avoid entering the water at swimming sites in the area.
Those areas include Carcase Rock, September Beach, Donington Beach, Fisherman Point, Surfleet Cove and McLaren Point.
Shane Hodgens, owner of fishing store Tackleworld in Port Lincoln, said he first became aware of the carcass on Tuesday through conversations with customers.
"I had some fishermen come into the shop, and [they] said they had come across a whale carcass, having a bit of a chew," he said.
Mr Hodgens said he went out to see it for himself on Tuesday afternoon, but had no luck.
Mr Hodgens said September Beach was one of the town's popular beach spots.
"There's a lovely campground there, it's a very popular campsite and it's got a nice beach as well so it's quite a popular swimming beach," he said.
"Coming up to Christmas holidays, it's going to be very busy and packed there."
He hopes the carcass veers from the area sooner rather than later.
"I wouldn't want it to be in the water for much longer, because it's starting to get a bit close to shore, that whale … and there's been several sharks in the area," he said.
'It may not be possible to move it'
However, National Parks and Wildlife SA Manager Tim Hall said at this stage, it was just going to let nature take its course.
"We'll keep an eye on it over the next few days, and see whether it stays where it is," Mr Hall said.
"But it is in a quite advanced stage of decomposition, and it may not be possible to move it."
Mr Hall said the department would continue to advise the public on the carcass's movements, but hoped people would take heed to the warnings and steer clear of the beach in the meantime.
"If they chose to enter the water, they do so under their own risk," Mr Hall said.
While the carcass has a lot of people talking, Mr Hodgens said it was not out of the ordinary for Port Lincoln.
"Most people are just accepting it's a part of nature," Mr Hodgens said.
"The whale died and the sharks are there just cleaning it up, I don't think anyone was too worried about it.
"There's a lot of sharks in the area now, and I guess people just need to be aware of that."
It comes less than a week after a young sperm whale was found dead at Corny Point on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula.
The juvenile sperm whale, which was up to seven-metres long, was observed floating onto a submerged reef at Corny Point, where it came to rest on Tuesday.
